Passed ANCC FNP today

[rmicu, MSN, NP]

Good evening all and Happy New Year.

I graduated on December 14th and passed the ANCC FNP exam today!!! Let the book burning begin.... .

The exam has 200 questions . Labs were the common labs, meds had generic and brand names listed. Lots of images, pictures. The survey questions at the end of the exam were nerve-wracking..

I obtained a lot of useful information from this site so I wanted to share as well.

I set a 6 week timeframe to study, 2 hours daily (most of the time). I did 25 practice questions a day from Amelie Hollier's APEA book of questions (has the rationales)--this didn't take a lot of time and was not included in my 2 hour study time.

My school (University of Alabama at Birmingham) provided the Fitzgerald review course for our last semester. Fitzgerald is very talkative (as others have stated), she provides a lot of info for the exam and for use in clinical practice. I made up flashcards as I listened to her lectures and I didn't need to return to her review book or lectures at all. She gives a good foundation, but talks and talks about extra things not on exam.

Studied 2 body systems a day: reviewed common diseases for each system- what it looks like, how to diagnose it; assessment techniques , physical findings, treatment guidelines, etc.

I purchased the ANCC Resource Manual (it has 50 practice questions and the first 3 chapters are essential for the actual exam), the ANCC practice questions (2 sets of 75 questions) and ANCC Test Taking strategies (25 questions, good insight)-- I would recommend them all .

I purchased Barkleys Home Study FNP course on December 12th and listened to it over 4 days. I really liked his style. He highlights what you need to know for the exam, gets right to the point and has a very detailed pediatric session. It was a good reinforcement of what I already studied and helped to narrow down my studies. I would recommend buying this review earlier than I did-- it was very good and very accurate as to what was on the exam.

I did one practice exam a week from familynpprep.com. Each test has 100 questions with rationales. These were helpful, especially for theory, billing/ financial, ethics and NP role questions. I would recommend them.

For the last 4 days, I only did practice questions-about 50-75 a day----from Hollier's book, 75 from ANCC practice questions, Leik's newest book and familynprep.com.

On Sunday, I really felt like I had done all I could do, studied as much as I could--if I didn't know it by then it wasn't worth knowing--lol... But, I still did 350 more questions yesterday (Monday) by 1pm (then I relaxed for the rest of the day)...

I would suggest just relaxing the day before the test-- no studying or practice questions (smile).

My study plan was probably overkill--but I needed to know that I did all I could in order to pass. Plus, I have a position waiting for me as soon as I am licensed ( thanks to allnurses for guidance on what to ask employer during interview, what to look for in an employer, contracts, etc.)

I hope this is helpful.. I appreciate the allnurses community for the support and great information... I always look here first-and it has not steered me wrong yet.

Best of luck to all who are studying/ preparing for certification exams--you can do it!!

Good night and Happy New Year to all. ..

[tryingtohaveitall]

Congratulations!

[uronurse1]

Congratulations! So excited for you!!

[Retired APRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

Congratulations and welcome to the next chapter! :)

[Chrissi2424]

Congrats!

[mammac5]

Congrats! What a great way to start the new year!!

[nursefin]

Congratulations!!!!!

[Soon2bAGNP]

Congrats!!! Good luck in your new position.

[Grneyzrn]

Congrats!! Wish you the best of luck in your career and thanks for the study tips. I just started FNP program in Nov. but I'm saving all the test advice & tips. Happy New Years!!

[WV-RN]

Thanks for the informative posting. I am currently a FNP student, still have 6 more semesters to go but I will certainly be looking back at your study timetable and reference materials when the time comes for me to test. Thanks again!

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

threads merged

[lhflanurseNP, APRN]

Congratulations! What a nice end of the year/start of the year gift :). You provide quite a bit of good information for those of us still working on our dreams. Thank you and all the best on your new role!